Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guard soldier guilty for a massive leak of sensitive material, is slated to be sentenced on Tuesday, bringing an end to a federal case that rattled the US national security community and shown how easily government secrets can spread online.
Judge Indira Talwani in U.S. District Court in Boston has scheduled Teixeira’s appearance after he pleaded guilty to six federal crimes in March, including the willful retention and delivery of top-secret national defense information. Teixeira, who will be 23 next month, has requested an 11-year prison sentence, while prosecutors have requested 16.
Teixeira was an information technology specialist at Joint Base Cape Cod in Massachusetts when he smuggled out photos of hundreds of secret documents and put them on Discord, a popular video gaming chat network. These files disclosed government assessments of the war in Ukraine, terrorist plotting, and Chinese espionage attempts against the United States and its allies, unsettling Washington’s relations with several foreign capitals.
Discord members described Teixeira as a charismatic gun enthusiast who first shared extensive information about current events before giving the confidential documents themselves. Some of the materials made their way from Discord to more mainstream social media sites, sparking a criminal investigation in April 2023 and a separate Air Force probe to discover how such a dramatic security breach occurred. Teixeira has been detained since his arrest that month.
Military officials disciplined at least 15 people after discovering that a “lack of supervision” and a “culture of complacency” allowed Teixeira to sneak photographs of classified information out of his workplace, despite colleagues’ concerns after he was caught looking up government secrets to which his military job did not require access.
Teixeira’s civilian attorneys declined to comment ahead of the sentencing session. In federal court filings, they and Teixeira’s family have requested leniency from the judge, citing the airman’s autism and his experiences of bullying in high school and within his military unit, the 102nd Intelligence Wing.
“While I know Jack has taken responsibility for his actions and is extremely sorry for what he did, as a career Airman, I can’t fully express the disappointment I feel that his first experience in the military was adverse and detrimental to his future, when it should have been one of positive mentorship and strong guidance that could have mitigated this situation,” his stepfather, Thomas Dufault, a retired National Guard member who previously served in the same unit as
Air Force headquarters officials referred all questions to the Massachusetts National Guard. Guard authorities said in a statement that they were unaware of any bullying claims against Teixeira and that they had a zero-tolerance policy against bullying, harassment, and hazing.
To assess eligibility for service, prospective service members must make correct and complete disclosures of their medical history, including any autism diagnosis, according to officials. Teixeira and his mother, Dawn Dufault, did not reveal a diagnosis of autism during his recruitment, which would have violated military enlistment requirements, according to the statement.
An autistic diagnosis does not immediately preclude a person from joining the military, but it does necessitate a medical waiver.
Prosecutors stated in a sentencing document filed last month that the harm caused by Teixeira’s acts was “extraordinary” and occurred despite him taking an oath to defend the United States and protect its secrets.
“Teixeira violated his oath, almost every day, for over a year,” they said. “The defendant’s repeated criminal conduct – in complete disregard of his oath, trainings, signed agreements, and admonitions to cease and desist reviewing classified information unrelated to his duties – was a profound breach of trust that had enormous consequences.”
